Desiree  Serrano

Partner | Los Angeles

dserrano@lozanosmith.com
Tel: 213.929.1066
Fax: 213.929.1077
Vcard   | Bio

Overview

Desiree Serrano is a Partner in Lozano Smith's Los Angeles office. Her practice focuses on the student, labor & employment and government relations aspects of education law. Ms. Serrano has extensive experience as general legal counsel for school districts. She presents trainings on a number of topics to school employees such as sexual harassment, discipline, cyberbullying, student searches, transgender student rights, contract drafting, Brown Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

She provides legal advice to administrators on personnel matters such as discipline, layoffs, discrimination complaints, disability accommodations, and leaves, in addition to preparing responses to DFEH and EEOC complaints and negotiating settlement agreements. She also has substantial experience with student issues including records, discipline, searches and constitutional issues.

Additional Experience

While in Law School, Ms. Serrano worked as a Law Clerk for San Diego Unified School District, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Children's Law Center of Los Angeles. She was also a Mediation Intern for the National Conflict Resolution Center and a Land Use Intern for the City of San Diego.

Professional Affiliations

Ms. Serrano is a member of the California Bar and involved with the California Council of School Attorneys.

Education

Ms. Serrano received her Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Society, and minored in Education and Applied Psychology, from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Ms. Serrano has received certification through ATIXA as a participant in Level 1 and Level 3 ATIXA Civil Rights Investigator Trainings.

Return to School in the COVID-19 Era - Student Issues (Part 1)

By: Desiree Serrano-

Host Sloan Simmons talks with Lozano Smith attorneys Aimee Perry and Desiree Serrano about the latest developments on COVID-19 and students, with a focus on Senate Bill 98 and the most recent state agency directives and guidance heading into the 2020-2021 school year.

A School District's Ability to Discipline Students for Off-Campus Conduct

By: Desiree SerranoEleanor Welke-

With texting and social media, it seems as though the line between school and "not school" are blurred. School districts are often faced with determining whether they can discipline a student for their conduct while not at school. In this episode, we discuss a school district's ability to discipline a student for off-campus conduct and go over court cases that analyze this issue.